Triadic, interlocking strut and truss, catenary, and suspension bridge



Jan. 31, 1933. A R g 1,895,734

TRIADIC, INTERLOCKING STRUT AND TRUSS CATENARY, AND SUSPENSION BRIDGE Filed April 27, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 31,193; A R 1,895,734 f Filed April 27, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 fl 7 I Ira/6min) f Y Jilian C. udfo wanes:

Jan. 31, 1933. a S 1,895,734

TRIADIC, INTEKLOCKING STRUT AND TRUSS, QATENARY, AND SUSPENSION BRIDGE Filed April W. 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jan. 31, 1933. RUSH 1,895,734

TRIADIC, INTENLocKING STRUT AND TRUSS, CATENARYI-L AND SUSPENSION BRIDGE Filed April 27. 1 927" 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I; 5 pension type of bridge.

Patented Jan. 31, 1933 a 1,395 134 UNl-TED, STATES PATENT FFICEE;

i V i 3655; nos auenrnsicmlrronnra r 'rnmnrc, mnmcxme scriw'r AND. rnossionrnnnari snsrnusron BRIDGE Application filed a rn 2 7,. relay. serial 335157 6 i i This invention relates to a bridge which and contraction, from wind pressure, and employs a steel wire cableforminga catenary from other physical? force'stii. I supported by piers; andto this'extent' re- An ob'ectis to insure a requiredispacing sembles the support fundamental to the susof the suspensionmeans,along the catenary J and yet to aflord a shock absorbing fiexi- V Objects are to so dispose the bridge, matebility combined with a practical inertial and rialsas'to-minimize'the strain upon anypararticular character that prevents. extensive ticularpart of the structure; to distribute transmission of motion throughout the the Weight ofithe loads passing over the bridge orto the supporting cables. bridge, and to absorb the shocks caused by Iutilize thepiers to a high extent'bymeans such passage. of a light cable catenary suspended from top The inventionincludes a novelconstructo .1 top of the piers,"and. support thereby a.

tion and arrangement wherebypassageways foot-way and pleasure and prospect platform; at three levels are provided at minimumcost, and the same may be connected to the interand afford improved facilities for travel mediate'wayby stays.

across broad spaces. 7 The sills and sill supports areheld rigidly In carrying out this invention, I employ in parallelism byrcross, beams'oit special conappropriate practically solid and rigid supstruction which are also embodied in and ports as piers ofmasonry, cement, concrete, form parts of this invention.

20 or other material, reinforcing and reinforced It; is toxbe'understood that I do. not limit by steel construction; and an object-of the the invention-to a structure including all the invention is to secure maximum-service from features herein set forth as constitutingithe such piers with minimum strain, and wlth completed bridge ;a-the invention includes'not maximized load carrying and traffic accomonly the combination and-'sub-combinations 25 modating qualities. herein described, but also various parts and A broad'feature ofnovelty resides 1n an arrangements ofpartshe'reinafterjdescribed arrangement of struts secured to the underand claimed. v a sides of the catenary loops and constructed. Objects are economy of time, lab0r,ja nd and arranged to strengthen the catena'ry, to material employed in construction; avoid-r 30 hold the suspension in' true position, to acance of-crystalizingjaction; ease'of replacing commod'ate expansion and contraction, to disparts ,and. freedom from. destructive strains tribute the loadsto the catenary and to serve and molecular changes due to expansion, conas a shock absorber; traction and vibratioinor other disruptive An object of the invention is to'pr'ovide alternation in the-application of forces.

" 35 means whereby ways for 'the heavy traffic The invention includes the bridge as a shallbe supported by load carriers spaced Whole and variousfstructural elementsand apart from, and constructed and arranged parts-and ,combinat'ionsofparts hereinafter relatively low, and suspended from and consetctort'h, a I 1 1 nectedto the heavy catenaries soas to absorb An object is superior.- safetyfrom accident 40 shockscausedi by the passage of'loads'over to builders and users. a v o the way; and this I doby interlocking tri- -Other objects, advantagesand features of adic rocker truss beams yoked? tothe catenainvention may appearfromthe accompanyv ries and articulated with .eacha other to afl'ord ing drawings, the subjoined detailed desoripsuch lost motion as may be required to abtionand the appended claims. a r i 45 sorb shocks and prevent destructive or other- The-accompanyingdrawings illustrate the Wise objectionablevibrations; and to couninvention.- i teract any accumulated alterations of-com- Figure l is-a fragmental sideelevation of pressions and extensions in limited zones-of a bridge constructed in accordance with this the catenary; and to accommodate moveinvention and showsa span supported bya ments resulting from heat and coldexpans'ion shore pier and a channel pier; fragments of 10 shown.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of one of the I piers on line m3, Figs. 1 and 2. Fig.- 4 is a fragmental detail illustrating in broken side elevation, the combination ofsupporting cable and load carriers, with double the invention is not limlted to any pa cantilever rocker strut trusses.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental sectional view on" line 1 025 Fig. 4, of oneof thecantilever struts and its"""connection with the cable" and stringer; A cable of oblong cross section is shown.

h Fig. 6 is a fragmental'plan' partly in section 'at' different elevations on, irregular line w6m6, Fig. 4, shoWing-part'ofadouble track I "roadway. Fig. 7 is'a g- 0f he roadway.

fragmental crosssection on line Fig. Sis a perspective view of -the top i of the; girder shown in Fig.l7. 5

"Fig. 9 isa perspective view of .thebrace member of the girder-shown in Fig.7.

I F igxlO-is a fragmentalperspective-of the lower truss and floor construction of one individual load carrier and fragments of'adj acent individual 3 load carriers for a three-way bridge.v

Fig. 11 is a fragmentaldiagrammatic illus- 'trationiof a bridge of numerous spans for constructionfinaccordance with .this'inven;

tion across the channels and Goat Islandat the Bay ofSan Francisco. r

Fig. 12 is a fragmental detail showing an upper cantilever strut of elongate form, and its articulations and connections, anda round icablesup'porting thefsame; the strut being canted slightly so that the right. hand'end is up against the catenaryand the other end is depressed, thus indicating apossible relative deflection of the strut.

' "Fig. 13 is a transverse section on irregular line 0013 01113, Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 isan inverted plan of a'hangar supfport and fragments of stays on a fragment ofaroundcabl'e. I

' on line. w1 1'm14,' Fig. 12.

The support is in section Fig. 15is a sectional-detail of a round cable and its supporting rocker saddle in section on-line m15a215, Fig. 16. 7

- 5 Fig. 16 is a fragmental elevation'in section on line 5016-0316, Fig. 15, showing the cable on its pillow block rocker mounted on a piersupportedcradle.

Fig. 17is a fragmental sectional view anal ogous to Fig -15 with an octagonal cable in place." 1 v Fig.'18 is a fragmental sectional detail on line w180018, Fig. 19, of a hanger-cable end holder with hanger-cable end therein.

Fig. 19 is a section 'on li nea19'as19, Fig. 18. Fig. 20 is a fragmental'detail of a-"hangercable end ready for engagement with the cable endholderw Fig. 21 is a view of the hanger-cable wir h spacing sleeve looking atthe outer end.

Fig.v 22 is an enlarged fragmentalvertical section on line indicated at 0322-0322, Figs. a and 12.

Arrows on the section lines indicate the direction of sight.

in various views and it is understood". that .Different-formsof'catenarycableiare shown form; Inthe-drawingsthe diameters of the tion, size andcross-sectional form; and in the bridge structure illustrated, there are four catenary cables. ,7 Round oroctagonal cables .1 are preferred as indicated-in Figs. 12, 13, 14, r

15 and 16; and such cables, respectively, may

contain approximately the same number of wires. 5 I

The cables are steel rockers as at B, in Figs. 15 and 16, and 3a In Fig. 17 and each cable supportingrocker .is provided with a seat as shown att in Figs.

15 and 16, and ea in Fig. 17 and said rockers i are supported by :pillowblocks,5,- 5a having grooves 51) andgc, respectively, in which the rockers are journalled'. ,The axesof the 1 7 cable 1 so that unequalexpansion-andconposite sides of therocker. may beaccommo datedby a slight rocking motion of the rock-' or without necessitating slippageof thecable mounted; in approved way on the piers The ends of the cable are held by suitable.

anchors 7 on the opposite shores ofthechannel A- to be.bridged;..and; there may be as 'many. piers Gas required-or deemed. eXpedi-' ent'for the particular structure in hand,

. The bands 2r are supported by shields 2001 i of boiler iron onlow carbon steel plate ofapw .proved thickness-bent to fit upon, and tightly compressed ontothe cablewires by the bands. Yokes 8. 8'are1fi-ttecl1upon thegbands or on the outside-s ofj the shields 200,,within the rockers andsockets' areat rightangles to the tractionj'of the limbs. of the cable 1 j onopover the rocker-. Thelpillow blocks; are it judgment of the :constr'u ctor,and the; ends of the cable to forinsuspension limbs to supportthe lower-structure of the bridge,,and are of different lengthsin alternation;-

i -The shields are intended to support bands and strains to the catenary-cables. are spaced apart transverselyofth e bridge by suitable means as fillers9-that may be'of steel, or other suitable material, andthe'yokes 8 are provided at their lower ends'with hinge bolts .10 to which hangers 11 are swung.

Said hangers are provided .at:their upper The suspension limbs of alternate yokes8 the yokeslare extended downwardly below 7 and yokes which transmit pressures, stresses I and lower ends with eyes l2fand 13, respectively, and the intermediate bodies 11 are preferably made ofparallel wires in a manner corresponding to the catenarycables, and are provided with wire-end holders "14 to which the eyes 12 and 13. are fixed;

The eyes 13 support the load sustaining pivot bolts 15 on which are swung links formed by stirrups 16. The individual-load carriers are supported by the stirrups and comprise floor sills 17 laid in such stirrups and beams supported by the sills and adapt- .ed to support flooringor railway rails, Said stirrups are provided above the 'sillwith bolts 18 carriedby upwardly divergent slanting suspension stays 6, each composed of links 19 and 20jointed together at 21.

22 and 23 are upper and lowerdouble cantilever struts each consisting of aheader as at a, a, a center post I) and oblique limbs 0.

Thesestruts are shown as made up of meta1 plates doubled and constructed as trusses of a double cantilever character, the central posts I) and the header and limbs on opposite sides of the post b,.forming the cantilever portions, affording bracket-like strength to resist deflection under Verticalstrains and also serving as struts to resist endwise thrusts.

The headers or of the upper triadic truss beam struts 22 are provided at their ends with shoulder terminals d that are loosely articulated with the yokes 8 or their fillers v9 to allow requiredlost motion and yet to apply, through the yokes, to the cable; an upward pressure at one point to compensate depressions at other points; and so on successively as a load progresses along the bridge. i

The ends of theheaders a of the truss beam struts are overlapped and are slotted as at d to accommodate connections of the direct hangers 1 1, and to be adjustable endwise relative to each other.

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be observed that depression of the right hand stirrup 16. will be directly transferred through bolt 15 and hanger 11, to-depress-the left end of the right hand yoke 8, and will be indirectly transmitted to the left through the adjacent. one of the slanting stays e and the lefttriadic limb c and the left terminal of thebeam' 22 to depress theleft hand yoke 8; and the depression of any stirrup is transmitted to the catenary through the direct hanger and; yoke therefor, and also through the slanting stays e at each side; and the load is thus distributed for a considerable distance along the. cate nary to yokes 8 and 8 and therethrough, to the cable.

The ends of the upper triadic truss cantilever rocking struts abut against the yokes 8 or fillers 9 to prevent displacement of the yokes lengthwise of the cable; but the lines of force reaching the articulation at d, are

thus interrupted and dissipated. The open joints may allow for expansion and contraction and avoid the exertion of destructive compressions andistrains from temperature changesand load'variation;

A central bolt 24 connects the slanting stays of each individual load carrier to the inverted apex ofthe upper triadic truss-like struts of such carrier.. The stirrups 16 arerigid, and ai'series of quadrangular carrier frames is formed below each catenary cable 1-, each comprising yokes 8, 8t triadic truss-like struts 22, said stirrups 16, the pivot bolts10, 18 and 24, the lower triadic truss-like struts 23 and the sills 17 so that each truss-like strut is measurably flexible in itself and is connected to its catenarycable and to all the other trusses under such cable, with such predetermined.,flexibility asmay. be deemed advisable, and. to this end enough; bolt holes and bolts of the character commonly used for such purpose, are employed;

The upper triadic truss-like struts are thus arranged in tandem throughout the 1 length of the span, and the suspended trusses are likewise arranged in tandem, and adepres sion onany part of the sills is distributed through the stirrups, the hangers, the stays, the truss-like strutsand the yokes, to the catenary cable throughout aconsiderable length of such cable.

'25 indicates tie beams that are notched and slotted at their ends and thus provided with lugs 26 that rest upon. the sillsY17, and that embrace the stirrups 16, thus allowingfreedom of movement such as maybe necessary to take care of exp ansion and contraction, and to absorb vibration. Said tie beamsiare' made of upper and lower members 27 and 28;'t he lower members 28. being channel: irons provided with arched Webs f-between: two side walls (7 and being secured to member'27 by side walls of said members, and by a bolt 31 extending through the web 32 of tbemember 27 and through holes 33, 33 in the webs 32 and f of the two members. The ends of the arched web f extends underneath the stirrups 16, and are supported byclips consisting of bars 7t extending under the ends of the webs, and U bolts :5 extending over the sides and through the bar and. secured by nuts 7'.

bolts 29 extending through; holes30 in the The wires of the catenarycables are pref- 1 p35 the ends of the sleeve, the yoke will tightly V I byuU-clips :whichsupportcross stays 41 that are connected transversely of the bridge to the catenary cables thus to hold such cables against swaying toward and from each other.

Each of the suspension links 11, 19 and 20' is constructed of parallel-wires, the ends of which extend through rings 42' over which such Wires are bent'as indicated inl igs. 18, and 20 and a spreader L3 is driven into the centervoidAEt to force the wires'outwardly against the ring. The terminals 45 of the wires'are 'bent over the ring end; and the I cable endthus-formed, together with the spreader, is seated in a sectional matrix as having shoulders 47 against which the ring 42 and the wire ends 48' abut. r The matrix 4:6,is dividedlongitudinally as indic ated by the line 49 in Fig. 19and thetwo halves are fitted upon their cable end and-are secured by a threaded sleeve 50 which is tight- 'ly screwed onto the matrixso. as to hold the halves of the matrix firmly in place, and to retain the enlarged head of the cable end. 1

'3 Said matrix is provided with ears 51 having holes '52 for convenience'of connection with their supports. V I I 1 'Wire wrapping indicatedatQa in Fig. 12, is

' of the usual type and encases the cables yao means, not shown.

' throughout when the bridge is fixed shut.

- 'The limbs of theyokes may be held apart by spacing sleeves 5i on bolts 55 so that when the nuts are tightened on the bolts, the pres sure thereof'will be borne by the sleeve; and

such sleeve is'of such length that when the limbs of the yoke are brought tightly against claspthe sleeve upon the cables I 56 indicates railway rails on the cross ties and it is understood that said rails may be fastened to the cross ties by an'yiwell known 57 indicates thehorizontal scenic promenade, footmans walk, bicycle path and dirigible trackless tram-way at. the tops of the piers, supported by a comparatively light catenary 58 led over columns 59 at the tops of the piers in like manner as with the construction detailed in Figs; 15 and 16.

'60 indicates approaches in the form of 7 indicated by the steel columns 62 modated.

Said piers are shown provided with lower intermediate and top adits 63, 64, 65 through the roadways isaccom which thetraflic over The lower adits 63 are below the level of the lowest or central limb 66 of the main way is atthe level ot'said adit 63.

at the level of said centralor lower limb 66' of the main catenary and the top adit,.65' is" catenary and thelfloor-(ii of the lower road i V practically at thetops' of the piers and between columns 59 that support the top cate-, nary 58.-

- Thefioor constructions of bridge Inay 7 be of any well determined'width and'lhave shown a construction in which four cablesl,

are employed as the: main c'atenary supporting the bridge floor 67 atthe lower adit 63, each roadwaybeing approximately 28 feet wide injthe clearr Y we I claim nary; said'suspension comprising individual a load carriers, stirrups supporting said load carrlers, hangers connecting the ends ofthe indlvldual. load carrlers to-the catenary,

double cantilevertrusses having articulating ends and pivotally connected to the catenary, a. f and spacing the hangers apart along the cate-' nary, and stays connecting the intermediate portion of the cantilevers respectively, to the intermediate portions ot the stirrups. j

2. The combination with a catenary; o intermediate andend supports connected to the 'caten'ary; a strut'pivoted intermediate its endsto'the intermediate support; a sill extending along beneath the catenaryand the strut; stirrups supporting saidsill; vertical h-angers-pivotally connected to the'end sup,-

ports and to the sill; and o-blique hangers pivoted to the central portion-of the strut and to the stirrups adjacent the lower ends of the vertical hangers.

In abridge; a tri dic'su'spensioncomprising a sill and'intermediateand sill'joint supports;triadic sets-of suspension devices, each comprising a strut,ia' strut pivoting hanger, strut articulating hangers each'of which is adapted and arranged to articulate with abutting ends of adjacent struts of a triad of suspensions; stirrups connecting the articulating hangers with the sill jointsup; portsrespectively; slanting stays connecting the central hanger of the triadic set withthe sill joint supports of such set; a truss fixed to the sill joint supports and supported thereby, and acentral sill support fixed to the truss and arranged to support the sill between the sill joint supports. I

In testimony whereof, Ihave hereunto set my handat Los Angeles, California, this 9th day of April, 1927. 1 ALLAN C. 

